WhatsApp To Add New Verification Method: Android-Exclusive Feature?

f you are creating a new WhatsApp account or migrating your already-existing account from another phone, then you can do it either by getting an OTP via SMS or voice call. Facebook-owned WhatsApp might soon add another way of verification, which should ease the process of phone number verification for the users, making it a seamless process.

According to reports, WhatsApp is now planning to use the flash call technique, where at the time of verification, WhatsApp makes a voice call to the phone number and will automatically authenticate. For existing users, WhatsApp will match the phone number stored on the database, while the new users can also create an account using the flash call method.

WAbetainfo is the first one to spot this feature, and have also shared a couple of screenshots on how this feature will be implemented on Android smartphones. The update is already available for beta testers. However, most users won't be able to test this feature, unless they are ready to reinstall WhatsApp or make a new WhatsApp account.

Is The New Method Safe?

Yes, this is as safe as receiving an OTP, as this method will match the phone number from the last call log and compare it with the number that has received OTP. Hence, one might not be able to set up a WhatsApp account on another phone, as the phone will not be able to authenticate the OTP. However, this is just going to be one of the ways to verify your phone number to set up WhatsApp, so, one should be able to set up Whatsapp on a third-party device without any issue.

Again, to use this feature, the user has to give access to WhatsApp to read call logs and to manage calls, which is something that privacy-conscious users should know. As Apple doesn't allow third-party apps to read and manage call longs on iPhones, this feature won't be coming to Apple devices and will be limited to Android smartphones.

Expected Release Date

WhatsApp flash call verification is already available in WhatsApp beta version 2.21.11.7 and is likely to be available for Android smartphones in the next few weeks. Given the recent leaks, Apple might release this feature with multi-device support, which is said to allow users to use a single WhatsApp account on four devices.